This Girl Wrote One Email to Help Kids in Need

For thirteen year old Elka Longstreth, books have always been within arm’s reach, ready to transport her to another world. In fact, books are her world.

Elka has books piling up on her desk and spilling out of the many bookshelves in her home. She’s always been a voracious reader. When she was only in first grade, she read the entire Harry Potter series.

Now, she often juggles multiple titles at once – books for school, recommendations from her parents, her favorite novel – she can’t get enough.
So when it was time to start her bat mitzvah project, she wanted to give books to kids to help them love reading and learning as much as she does.

Elka and her parents started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to provide books and resources to kids in need through First Book. They decided to keep it simple: they shared the campaign via email with friends and family. Elka was completely shocked by the response.

In one short month, Elka exceeded her fundraising goal of $2000. With one email Elka was able to give 685 new books to kids in need.

When Elka celebrated her bat mitzvah, she was overjoyed to know that kids throughout the country would be able to fall in love with the stories she enjoys so much.

First Book Canada believes a child’s education is their way out of poverty. We work with educators and partners to identify and remove the barriers to learning and resources, creating equal access to quality education and transforming the lives of kids in need.